Every Rose Has A Thorn
by VanillaAshes
Summary: AU! Narcissa would sometimes compare her life to a rose, it looked pretty on the surface, but you often got pricked by a thorn. Implied Abuse.


**Hello! This Oneshot is for the Round Five of Season Five of the Quidditch League Competition (QLFC) and for Round Three of The Houses Competition.**

 **QL:**

 _ **Team: Wigtown Wanderers.**_

 _ **Position: Chaser 3.**_

 _ **Theme: Pansy (as inspired by Pansy Parkinson): Write about a character loving another character despite being mistreated or ignored by them.**_

 _ **Prompts: 1. (word) influence; 2. (object) thorn; 13. (colour) ruby red.**_

 **THC:**

 _ **House: Hufflepuff**_

 _ **Category: Short Story.**_

 _ **Prompt: Lucius/Narcissa**_

 **Title: Every Rose Has A Thorn.**

 **Summary: AU! Narcissa would sometimes compare her life to a rose, it looked pretty on the surface, but you often got pricked by a thorn.**

 **Word Count: 1112**

 **Beta(s): Sanctuaria, DinoDina, and KageKitsune**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Narcissa Black wasn't deluded enough believe that her future marriage to Lucius Malfoy would be perfect. They were both influential purebloods and their parents approved of their relationship; on the outside, it was a win-win situation. He was tall, charming, handsome, and above all else, like-minded. Sharing values with your future husband was important. She knew that.

She would just have to show Lucius that she could be the woman - no, the _wife_ \- that he would love back. After all, they were engaged to be married in under six months.

"Anything interesting in the news?" Narcissa questioned, seeing as Lucius' attention was on the newspaper in front of him opposed to her. When she received no immediate reply, she took a slow sip from her tea. "Lucius," she prodded.

He sent her a look, one that she had started to grow accustomed to. He thought she was needy. Those particular words had left his mouth a few times, before he stopped replying altogether when she was 'annoying' or 'irritating him.'

Nevertheless, she cleared her throat; she wasn't about to allow him to dictate everything about her. Narcissa would not be controlled by a man. "I am contemplating wearing that ruby red dress you brought me to dinner tonight." Silence. "Thoughts?"

Letting out a sigh, Narcissa finished her tea. Why she thought he'd pay her any attention when they were alone, she didn't know. Lucius was always more interested when he needed to impress somebody. Their relationship hadn't always been like this, they used to be more intimate and passionate when they were alone. But they had been in the midst of a war, had just graduated from Hogwarts, and had to think about their futures. Life was more stressful now; she supposed that it wasn't the time to demand romance.

Straightening her back, Narcissa was determined to ensure that this date would not be yet another one filled with silence, even if she had to participate in both sides of the conversation. "Andromeda seems to be going down a dark path. Hanging out with those who are… beneath us; Mudbloods and Muggles…" She halted immediately when a hard hand gripped her arm, the pain immediate, but she refused to cry out at the shock.

"Don't let her have a bad influence on you, Cissy," Lucius warned, his grey eyes surprisingly hard.

Not letting his tone rattle her, she bowed her head in a nod. "I would never grace those vermin even with the time of day."

Obviously satisfied with that answer, his grip loosened before he let go completely and returned to ignoring her. She preferred being ignored over-shaking those dangerous thoughts out of her head, she continued as if nothing had happened. "Mother and Father are not pleased. It will be addressed at dinner, as I understand."

After allowing time for him to calm down, she continued to talk, deciding to share her personal feelings on the matter. "I only hope that she makes the right decision." She received no response, but right now, no response was better than a near-violent one. However, even though she had hope, part of her knew that it would not end the way she, or the majority of her family, wanted. It was a little-known fact that Andromeda had not shared the same views on blood status for a long time. Hope couldn't change that.

* * *

Narcissa had opted out of wearing the ruby red dress. It wasn't her style, and she knew her family would have commented about it if she had chosen to wear it. Instead, she selected a simple black gown that fell to her feet. It was more unadorned than ones she usually wore, but expensive. That made it more fitting for the occasion. Lucius had handed her a bouquet of roses, deeming it necessary for them to not turn up empty handed that evening but not wanting to carry them himself.

She entered her childhood home, one filled with hard discipline, pureblood values, and family expectations. Bellatrix had beaten both of her sisters so far with her marriage to Lestrange. Finding somebody who didn't care how crazy she was was truly inspiring. However, as soon as Narcissa married Lucius and became a Malfoy, she'd be the golden child. He was more influential in the Wizarding world, and his family name was well-known to support the same values as her own.

Lucius walked into the house first, almost stepping on her foot. It was her fault, she had been in the way. He slowed his strut at the sound of shouting.

"A _Mudblood_!" screeched her mother. "I forbid it!"

"It's too late, _Mother_ ," Andromeda's voice followed, filled with anger, certainty, and hurt. "I've already married him!"

Narcissa let out a small gasp and walked into Lucius, who had suddenly stopped. A loud crack echoed into the hallway; it was obviously her father hitting Andromeda. This wasn't the first time she'd heard that sound. Side-stepping Lucius, she aimed to go to the drawing room, where the altercation was taking place. What she would do when she got there, she wasn't entirely sure. However, Lucius grabbed her arm, holding her tightly in place.

"Your sister is a blood-traitor?"

She turned her attention away from him as she heard a slap. Andromeda was only a few feet away from her, but the pain in her arm showed her that they were not alone. She couldn't try to talk sense into her sister; she wanted to though. A number of times that Andromeda had helped her in the past, with her family, school work, relationships. She specifically remembered her older sister taking the blame for her over the years, suffering the harsh consequences. It wasn't the time to reminisce about the past, she had to think about the future. So, she said what she knew she had to, to keep her engagement and the respect of her family. "She's no sister of mine."

The hurt was evident on her sister's face before she walked straight towards them, side-stepping her and shoving past Lucius. They heard the crack of apparition before the door even slammed shut.

As Lucius released her, he moved her swiftly out of the way and walked further into the house, Narcissa stayed where she was. How could her sister, who had been raised in the same way as her, betray their family like this? She pulled out one of the roses, cutting her finger on one of the thorns and frowning. It didn't hurt as much as her arm, but was a nuisance. She supposed that nothing was ever perfect. Even a rose, as beautiful as they were, had thorns.

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 **Thank you for reading!**


End file.
